Club Skin
by Diamond Iris
Summary: This story takes place after Breaking Dawn. The Cullens go out to a club where they meet another vampire who is not like them. Jealousy rages in Edward and tempers flare.


Chapter 1

Somebody Get Me Out of Here

It was early in the morning, and Edward and I were lounging around the cottage. Something felt different today. Like there was a static feeling in the air; adrenaline mixed with excitement. For some reason this had me worried. If Edward knew something, he wasn't telling me. I was broken away from my thoughts by a light tapping on the front door. I walked over to the door, opened it, and saw Alice, Esme, and Rosalie standing there. Alice looked a little too excited.

"So, you ready to go?" she asked.

I looked at her as if she had spoken in some foreign language I didn't understand.

"Go where?" I asked.

Alice just rolled her eyes and smiled. "To the mall, silly! We're going to a club tonight and we have to go shopping for new outfits."

Shopping for clothes wasn't exactly one of my most favorite things in the world. "I don't know, Alice. I don't know if I even want to go tonight."

Alice just looked at me with those puppy dog eyes. Damn it! She knows I can't resist the puppy dog eyes. I just stared at her, not wanting to give in. She stuck out her bottom lip and quietly said, "Please?"

I heaved a sigh and said, "Fine. I'll go."

Alice jumped about a foot in the air, clapped her hands and gave a squeal of delight. I knew Edward had been listening the entire time, because I heard him give a little snort of laughter. I grabbed my purse off the hook and Edward got up to watch us leave. I turned around to see him with a huge grin on his face.

"You ladies have a great time shopping."

I just glared at him and thought, _Oh, how I wish you could read my mind right now._

I'd forgotten how fast Alice drove. Before I knew it, we were standing in the middle of one of the department stores.

"So, what are you planning on wearing tonight?" she asked.

I looked down at my meager ensemble, and said, quite frankly, "I was just planning on wearing what I am right now."

Alice looked at me as if I had just said the foulest thing in the human language. "Bella," she said, "we're going to a club. You can't go dressed looking like…that. Let me pick out your outfit! Please?"

She gave me that look. Again with the puppy dog eyes! Damn it, she was good! "Fine. Go nuts."

Alice jumped about another foot in the air and gave another squeal of delight. Before I knew it, she had grabbed me by the wrist and was dragging me toward the dresses. _This is going to be a long day_, I thought.

Chapter 2

I Just Can't Help But Laugh

They've been gone for a long time. I hope Bella survives. Shopping isn't exactly one of her most favorite things to do. In fact, she hates it; especially when it's Alice that's taking her. It was actually kind of nice having the entire cottage to myself. Bella was out shopping with the girls and Reneseme was out with Jacob. But when one is a vampire, one has no concept of time, and, well, quite frankly, it gets kind of boring.

I was sitting there quietly in my solitude, when my cell phone rang, jarring me out of my meditative state. It was Alice; they were at the house and she told me to meet them there. I took my time, knowing that Bella was going to take a while to get dressed, so I was in no hurry to get there.

When I did arrive, I could feel the rush of excitement going throughout the entire house. I walked in and Alice came over and gave me a big hug. "You're going to love her outfit! It's absolutely gorgeous!" Somehow, I had the feeling that Bella wasn't going to like it at all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something red standing at the top of the stairs. I turned to see that it was Bella. And Alice was right, it was gorgeous, and she looked gorgeous in it. She was wearing a tight, red spandex dress that came off her shoulders, with matching red pumps. Her hair was down and straightened. _Wow!_ I thought. Although I thought she looked stunning in it, I could tell by the look on her face that she hated it. I put my right arm around her waist, brought her close to me, and kissed her on the forehead. "You look gorgeous," I whispered in her ear.

"I can't stand this dress," she muttered. "And I can barely walk in these things."

I chuckled and said, "I know you do. But Alice worked really hard at getting you this dress; it's what makes her happy. And it's only one night, so just go with it. And at the end of the night, you can take it off and throw it away if you want."

She gave a light sigh and said, "Ok, fine. Just for tonight. But after, I'm taking it and burning it."

I just smiled and gave her another kiss on the forehead. "That's my girl."

"Alright, gang. Ready to go?" Alice asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Bella muttered.

I smiled, squeezed her hand, and opened the car door for her. I started the engine and thought, _This is going to be some night._

Chapter 3 A

The Club Just Ain't My Scene  
(Bella)

The ride there was long and silent. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing; it doesn't mean that we're upset, it's just that, Edward and I don't need to talk to connect. Maybe it's a vampire thing, I don't know; or maybe we're just special that way. But I kind of liked it. It gave me time to prep myself. I've never been to a club before, even while I was human. Well, I guess when you're not much of a dancer, you tend to kind of shy away from them.

It didn't take us long to get there. The club was packed! _Good! _I thought. _Maybe it'll be so busy we won't be able to get in and I'll be able to go home and get out of this dress! _Edward got out the car and came over to my side to open the door for me. We stood there looking at the place; _**Club Skin**_ the sign read. I tried to act disappointed. "Wow! Look how long the line is! I don't think we'll be able to get in." But before I could even turn around to go back to the car, Edward grabbed my wrist and pulled me to his side. I was shocked; we walked past all of the people waiting in line, right up to the door.

"Hi, Bruno," Alice said. He just smiled, winked, and nodded at her. I still wasn't used to being a Cullen; that's probably why we were able to get in right away. I wasn't used to being a vampire yet, either. When we walked in, I saw all of the colors that I wouldn't have been able to see if I were human. It looked like a kaleidoscope exploded! I was also able to hear the pounding of hundreds of heartbeats, their blood pulsating faster and faster through their veins as they danced. The sound was intoxicating.

We were escorted upstairs to the VIP Lounge. This room was huge! It had a full wet bar, tables, chairs, couches, wait staff. Surrounding the Lounge was a thick iron rail that went all the way around. I followed Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, and Edward to a table next to the railing, overlooking the dance floor. Suddenly, Edward tensed. He inhaled deeply and said to Jasper, "Do you smell that?"

Jasper inhaled, as well. He made a face and said, "Yeah, I do."

He whispered something to Emmett, who did the same as Edward and Jasper. Rose and Alice followed suit. I breathed deep and smelled it, too. There was another vampire in the club; but, not like us. He'd smelled us, too, and came over to investigate. I watched him walk gracefully through the crowded Lounge over to us. I'd watched intently as he ignored every female that threw herself at him, clinging to him. He was staring deeply into my eyes, and I into his. He was extremely handsome. He was tall, about 6'2", muscular, dark brown hair, and eyes that were as red as my dress. He must've been thinking something vulgar, because the look on Edward's face was sheer anger. He stopped in front of us and said in clear, pleasing baritone, "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Cullens." He extended his hand and slowly took it back when Edward didn't acknowledge it.

Alice was the one that spoke first, and said, very politely, "I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, please do forgive my rudeness. My name is Lucian."

He kept looking at me, and it began to scare me and creep me out. A rhythmic Latin song came on, and he extended his hand to me. "Would you care to dance?"

Edward looked at me as if to say _Say no!_ But there was something about this vamp that I didn't like. I knew I had to say yes, because I was afraid that if I didn't, someone (namely, Emmett) might say something like 'Ooohh, burn!' and it might set him off and he might go on a blood rampage and kill hundreds of innocent humans. I wanted to keep whatever little peace there was between us.

I put my hand in his and said, "I'd love to."

He pulled me towards him and smiled deviously. "Excellent."

We walked down the stairs to the crowded dance floor. He put my hand in his and the other on my waist and we began to move gracefully around the dance floor, through the crowd of people. The song was about to come to an end. Just then, he spun me around once, pulled me into him and held me close against his body, and dipped me. Suddenly, I felt his warm lips kiss my neck. If I had a heartbeat, I knew it would be beating faster. He looked down at me, smiled, and said, "I think your boyfriend is jealous."

I smiled back and told him, "That's not my boyfriend; that's my husband." His smile faded from his lips and he brought me back up to a standing position. He turned around and walked out of the club; I turned around and walked back upstairs to the Lounge. Edward was pissed. Let's just say that, if looks could kill, you wouldn't last two seconds.

Alice looked at him and said, "I think we should go now."

We walked back outside to the car and headed back towards home. Edward was driving fast; faster than usual. He was quiet, but not like the kind of quiet before on the way there. This was an 'I'm so pissed I don't even want to talk to you right now' kind of quiet. I knew something was wrong. "What?" I asked. He didn't answer me. Again, I asked him, "What's wrong?" Suddenly, he swerved to the right side of the road, slammed on the brakes, and stormed off into the woods. I got out of the car as fast as I could and followed him. I was beginning to get irritated.

"What?! Edward, stop! Talk to me."

He stopped where he was and slowly turned around to face me. "Why did you do it, Bella? Why did you do it when you knew it would irritate me? I'll bet you enjoyed it, too. You enjoyed it as much as he did. Admit it, Bella. You loved it."

I was appalled! "Edward, how could you accuse me of such a thing?! I was sickened by what he did! When I felt his lips on my neck, it made my skin crawl. You know that I love you and you alone. I've told you this; I've showed you this, for crying out loud! I could never love anything or anyone as much as you, Edward." I brought my hand up to caress his cheek.

He looked at me sheepishly and said, "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that, when I saw him do all of those things to you...I got a little jealous. Forgive me, Bella."

Even with my shoes on, I still had to stand on my tiptoes to kiss him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as held me close and kissed me gently on the lips.

Chapter 3 B

If It Isn't Yours, Don't Touch It  
(Edward)

Bella was quiet the whole ride there. I could tell she was nervous. I knew that she hated dressing up. I also knew that she wasn't much of a dancer, which is probably why she was so nervous. I wish I knew what she was thinking right now. It would be nice to know what she was so nervous about. I knew that if I'd asked her, she wouldn't tell me. So I just let her be alone with her thoughts. _Must be nice_, I thought, _to not be able to hear other people's thoughts._ It's not so bad anymore, though. I've learned to drown them out.

We pulled up in front of the club; it was called _**Club Skin**_. The place was packed and the line was long. I could only guess what Bella was thinking. She was trying to sound disappointed. "Wow! Look how long the line is! I don't think we'll be able to get in." She tried to turn to head back towards the car; I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to my side.

We walked past all of the people standing in line right up to the front door. Alice smiled at the bouncer and said, "Hi, Bruno." He smiled, winked, and nodded at her and let us in. I was suddenly aware that everyone was staring at us. Not because we had just walked in ahead of them, but because of Bella; they were all staring at her. Every single guy had something to think about her. It was sickening.

We were escorted upstairs to the VIP Lounge. We sat a table right by the railing, overlooking the dance floor. Suddenly, I'd gotten very tense. I inhaled deeply, and smelled a familiar scent. _ Vampire_, I thought. I leaned over to Jasper and asked him, "Do you smell that?"

Jasper inhaled and said, "Yeah, I do."

Jasper leaned over and whispered to Emmett, who smelled it, too. Rose, Alice, and Bella did the same and knew what we were talking about. There was another vampire, who was not like us. He made his way through the crowd towards us. He had his eyes fixed on Bella. He ignored every other female there, even as they were throwing themselves at him and clinging to him. I could hear his every thought. He could tell that Bella was a newborn by the color of her eyes. He was curious to know how a newborn could resist the temptation to humans. He was also wondering how a woman as beautiful as her, would be with a guy like me. His thoughts were so vile and disgusting, it took all my strength not to rip his throat out. He stopped in front of us and said in a deep voice, "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Cullens." He extended his hand to me, but slowly withdrew it when I didn't acknowledge it.

Alice spoke first, and said, very politely (more politely than I would have), "I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, please do forgive my rudeness. My name is Lucian."

He kept staring at Bella and it was beginning to piss me off. A rhythmic Latin song came on. He offered his hand to Bella and asked, "Would you care to dance?"

This made me extremely angry. First, he had the nerve to try to shake my hand; then he goes and asks my wife to dance! I gave her a look that told her I wanted her to say no. But she put her hand in his and said, "I'd love to."

He pulled her to her feet and smiled deviously and said, "Excellent."

He led her down to the crowded dance floor. I watched with envy as she put her hand in his and as he put his other hand on her waist. I watched as they moved gracefully through the crowd. The song was just about over, when he spun her around once…pulled her close to him…dipped her down. He looked up at me, and smiled that devious smile. Then he bent his head down and kissed her neck. Suddenly, I heard a crack. I'd gripped the railing so hard, that I had snapped it in half. I was about to run down there and rip his head off, when Alice stuck her arm in front of me and said, "Let it go. He's only trying to get a rise out of you. Don't give him the satisfaction."

I could feel Jasper trying to calm me down. "Jasper, would you cut it out!!"

Emmett smiled at me and said, "Dude, are you gonna let him get away with that?"

Alice gave him a sharp look and said, "Emmett, shut up."

He'd suddenly fled the building. Bella made her way back upstairs. Alice looked at me and said, "I think we should go now."

We walked outside to the car and headed back towards home. I was so pissed, I couldn't even speak. I didn't want to speak, because I knew that if I did, I would only end up yelling. She could tell something was wrong, so she asked, "What?" I didn't say anything; I just gripped the wheel tighter and drove faster. Again she asked me, "What's wrong?" I thought _Fine, she wants to know, I'll tell her._ I swerved over to the right side of the road and slammed on the brakes. I got out of the car and ran off into the woods. I could hear Bella close behind me. She called out to me, "What?! Edward, stop! Talk to me."

I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned around to face her. "Why did you do it, Bella?" I asked. "Why did you do it when you knew it would irritate me? I'll bet you enjoyed it, too. You enjoyed it as much as he did. Admit it, Bella. You loved it."

She stood there with her mouth agape, as if she didn't know what to say. "Edward, how could you accuse me of such a thing?! I was sickened by what he did! When I felt his lips on my neck, it made my skin crawl. You know that I love you and you alone. I've told you this; I've showed you this, for crying out loud! I could never love anything or anyone as much as I love you, Edward." When she brought her hand up to caress my cheek, I knew that she would never lie to me.

I looked at her sheepishly and said, "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that, when I saw him do all those things to you…I got a little jealous. Forgive me, Bella."

She stood on her tip toes to kiss me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her close to me and kissed her gently on the lips; I didn't ever want to let her to go.


End file.
